✨ A Chat with Cheryl Marlow

There’s something special about settling into a cozy mystery—the kind that draws you in, makes you smile, and leaves you feeling like you’ve spent time with people you genuinely enjoy.

We sat down with Cheryl Marlow, author of the Paisley Penrose Cozy Mysteries, to talk about her stories, her characters, and the heart behind the series.

💛 What drew you to writing cozy mysteries—and to Paisley in particular?

I’ve always been drawn to the idea of telling stories that feel both wholesome and interesting—something readers can settle into and simply enjoy.

When I was in fifth grade, my English teacher wrote on my report card, “She should be a writer someday.” That stayed with me. Life went on, of course, but the idea never really left.

As an adult, I didn’t read much fiction, but I kept thinking… maybe someday I’ll write one.

And here I am, on the edge of retirement, finally doing exactly that.

At this stage in life, I think what I want most is simple: I want people to feel good. I want them to feel like the world can still be kind, that things can be made right. Fiction felt like a way to offer that.

Paisley—and the rest of the characters—didn’t come immediately. I went through quite a few iterations before I found people I genuinely liked. That mattered to me. I wanted to create a world readers would enjoy stepping into… and characters they’d want to spend time with.

📚 Do you have a favorite book in the series?

That’s an easy one—Murder at the Marina.

It’s the book where everything started to click.

The dialogue has a spark to it, Paisley’s voice really came into its own, and the connections to her past added a layer that just felt… right.

The first book was me finding my footing. But in the second, the characters began to feel like real people to me—and I think readers can feel that shift.

🔍 What’s something you wish readers knew while reading your books?

More than anything, I want readers to know how much I truly want them to enjoy the story.

I’m still growing as a writer. This is very much an art, and I’m learning with every book.

I genuinely appreciate when readers share their thoughts with me. After my first book, one reader told me she guessed the culprit too quickly—it was too easy. So in the next book, I worked hard to conceal things more carefully.

Then readers told me the reveal felt like it came out of nowhere.

And that’s when it really hit me—this balance is delicate.

Each book is a chance to do it a little better. A little more thoughtfully. A little more skillfully.

I’m not perfect, but I truly care about getting it right—and about giving readers a story they’ll enjoy from beginning to end.

❤️ Let’s talk about the slow-burn romance… what can you tell us?

Very slow burn.

Paisley and Grant knew each other in high school—just enough to recognize each other now, but not enough to really know one another back then.

Now, as adults, they’re finding their way into that space.

There’s a bit of teasing. A bit of awareness. That sense that something could be there… eventually.

But I never want the romance to overshadow the mystery.

If anything, it’s meant to feel like a quiet thread running beneath the surface—something gentle and hopeful.

In my mind, this is a long journey. The kind where even something as simple as holding hands feels meaningful.

I want readers—especially those who remember a slower, more innocent kind of connection—to smile when they read those moments.

🐾 Noodle has become a fan favorite. What makes him so special?

Noodle is… steady.

He’s Paisley’s companion, her little anchor when things feel uncertain.

In many ways, he helps carry the emotional weight of the story. He reflects what she’s feeling, sometimes in ways she doesn’t fully say out loud.

He’s there in the quiet moments. The difficult ones. The thoughtful ones.

And sometimes, he understands more than anyone else in the room.

🧠 Do you plan everything out—or do the mysteries surprise you?

I’m definitely a planner.

I start with a full outline so I know where the story is going—and the backstory that supports it. From there, I build a more detailed, write-ready outline, though that can shift quite a bit as I go.

Structure helps me. I tend to aim for eighteen chapters and an epilogue, which gives me a sense of pacing—where the reveals should land, how tension builds, and when things need to come together.

But even with all that planning, the story still finds ways to evolve as I’m writing.

💔 Was there a moment that stayed with you long after writing it?

The ending of The Time Capsule Killing stayed with me for a long time.

It was emotional—more than I expected.

Even after my beta readers responded well to it, I ended up cutting a significant portion because it felt too heavy. I want these books to remain cozy.

But there was something in that story I couldn’t ignore.

The idea that someone could spend a lifetime paying for something they didn’t do… that’s not something you can simply gloss over.

It led to a lot of late nights thinking about justice—about who gets seen, who gets overlooked.

I don’t set out to write about big issues. That’s not the goal.

But I do try to treat my characters honestly. And sometimes, that honesty lingers.

🌊 If readers could step into Paisley’s world for a day, what would you want them to experience?

I’d want them to take a walk along the boardwalk by the inlet.

To feel that sense of calm. Of safety.

To breathe in that quiet understanding that everything is going to be okay.

That justice will be found. That people will stand beside you when it matters.

It’s the feeling I remember from growing up—that you didn’t have to face things alone. That truth would come to light.

That tomorrow would be better.

And if readers can walk away with even a small piece of that feeling… then I’ve done what I hoped to do.

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